BMW updates its logo for the digital age

For the first time in close to 23 years, German automotive giants BMW has redesigned its iconic logo, but don’t expect to see the new design on any of its cars, as the change is only meant for online and offline communication purposes.

According to a statement by BMW, the new design began rolling out on 3 March on most digital platforms and is poised to position the company as it is “better-suited to the digital age”. If you paid close attention to BMW’s latest concept i4, you would have noticed the new logo in place of the previous design, however, BMW has no intention of using the logo on any of it production vehicles.

“With visual restraint and graphic flexibility, we are equipping ourselves for the vast variety of touch points in communication at which BMW will be present, online and offline, in the future,” said Jens Thiemer, BMW’s head of brand management.

As you can see from the new logo below, the biggest change includes the thick outer ring changing from black to transparent while still keeping the iconic checkered blue-and-white pattern at its centre. This means the colour of the logo will change according to whatever its set against. The logo also appears to follow a more minimalistic and flat design when compared to the previous versions.

BMW Blog

Not everyone is a fan of the new design though, as editor Armin Vit, of underconsideration.com, a website that reviews corporate redesigns, criticised the decision to remove the black outline by saying, “The biggest change is the loss of the black background, which I feel is what made the BMW so iconic and elegant, adding a rich contrast to the white and blue. Without the black and the concept of transparency for the new logo, it literally looks like something is missing.

The Verge also aren’t fans of the latest design, saying that it looks like “someone on the creative team got sloppy and accidentally deleted the background on the Photoshop file before they exported it.”

Seeing as though it took BMW 23 years to redesign its logo, the chances that it’ll change the new design this soon after debuting it is slim to none.